Congratulations on winning the February MyBBI giveaway competition for your video post of the behind-the-scenes with RuPaul on a Maybelline Commercial. Can you tell us about your experience working on that project?
Thank you so much. I am so excited to be February’s winner! I had a blast working on this project. I prepped multiple gear packages to make the day as seamless as possible, so no one was waiting on sound. We recorded each talent’s portion one at a time, so the day was divided into three blocks.
I was grateful to have my boom op, Dave Shaw, helping me all day because we had a studio setup with each talent, a VO booth, and a follow car for Ru Paul’s taxi moment in the commercial. I had my main sound bag to capture the key scenes, a sound bag for the VO booth, and a bag to drop in the picture car Ru Paul would be riding in.
For the taxi scene, I mic’d Ru Paul using my DPA 6060 lavalier with a Bubblebee Lav Concealer, secured with a Viviana ankle strap—Ru specifically requested the ankle strap. Dave planted two mics in the car: a Sennheiser MKH50 mounted with a Dinkum FlexiMount in the middle console at the back of the taxi, aimed at Ru, and a Tram TR50, which he vampire-clipped to the inside roof just in front of Ru’s seat. I sent a feed to my mixer in the follow car for the client to hear. I was happy with my decision to drop the bag in the vehicle because the RF environment in NYC is brutal, and the signal following the car dropped out a few times, even though we were directly behind the picture car.
The Spacer Bubble makes a quick appearance in the commercial during Gigi’s late-night scene. My favourite part was getting out of the studio and hitting the NYC streets with Ru Paul!
Working with celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and RuPaul on commercials must be a surreal experience. Is there any advice you would give to other sound mixers when working with high-profile celebrities?
No matter who the talent is, the best advice I can give is to be prepared and as calm as possible. People who are experienced with media are very used to being mic’d and just want to have a quick and easy experience. I make sure I am introduced by the AD and have any accessories I think I could need based on my initial observation of the talent's outfit. When the talent has more experience, I will also ask for their input and preferences. Basically, stay calm, have very direct communication, and ask for consent!
Behind the scenes photo of the setup on a Maybelline commercial for Naomi Campbell.
You've worked on a wide range of projects, from documentaries to commercials. What initially drew you to production sound?
I had the opportunity to be an A2 in a broadcast environment. At the beginning of my career, I connected with Jason “J.J.” Brown, an audio supervisor in NY who was an alumnus of my university. He introduced me to the world of sound in a broadcast setting and showed me how to mic up talent and work with an A1. I had just graduated, so while I worked with J.J. from time to time, I was also gaining film experience as a production assistant on various projects. The last production I worked on was as a costume PA for The Girl on The Train. After I wrapped that project, J.J. referred me to Time Inc.
I then transitioned to being a full-time A2 at their studio, which at the time owned various magazines. The studio produced internet content for all the brands at the company, so I was constantly working on different types of shoots—ranging from live shows to 15-person cast interviews. I worked there for about six years and, while it was very informative and consistent, I started to miss my days working in the field. I had been involved in audio for a while and wanted to explore other ways to work in the sound department. It was a great experience that prepared me well for my production sound career.
I met a few production sound mixers that showed me their gear and I was immediately hooked. I started deep diving into all the gear and once I acquired my first basic kit, I was able to start working on indie short films to gain experience. I love talking about sound equipment and learning new ways to use it. It still surprises me the spaces I have gotten to enter and the people I have met just by being a sound mixer.
New York is a city full of unpredictable sound challenges such as traffic, construction, and constant movement. As a production sound mixer, how do you navigate these obstacles to ensure you capture clean, high-quality audio?
NYC can be pretty unpredictable, but I generally don’t have too many issues with interference. My main wireless that I use is the Wisycom MCR54 Quad receiver along with the MTP61 Miniature Body Pack Transmitters and I am obsessed! The ability to remote control the transmitter and receiver through their app is super useful. It allows me to change frequencies and gain stages efficiently without interruption.
Aside from navigating RF issues, I have had the pleasure of being on multiple sets located directly next to construction. When that happens, I flag it immediately to production, and then do the best I can to soundproof the space. Sometimes the environment doesn't allow for absolutely pristine audio, but pausing production at strategic moments, and setting up whatever sound dampening is available can make a huge difference.
How has The Spacer Bubble helped improve your workflow? Can you share any specific moments where it made a real difference?
The Spacer Bubble is the best! I love how versatile it is and how it can easily fit in my gear bag. Sometimes I'll use my Schoeps CMIT5U just because it's the mic I have The Spacer Bubble for. When I know filming outside is a possibility then that is the mic I go with because I have the windscreen sleeve, I can quickly slip on.
I worked on a documentary called Breadwinners about food supply and distribution in NY and we recorded a few interviews outside on farms. Even though there was a decent amount of wind the Spacer Bubble worked great because the sleeve is thin enough to not muffle the sound while still providing protection against the wind.
Set-up for an outside shot using The Spacer Bubble for a food supply and distribution documentary.
Can you tell us about a particularly challenging production that you've worked on?
This past fall I worked on an interview talk show that was shot in front of an LED Mega Wall. There was a jib capturing extreme wide shots of the whole space which made using a boom impossible. They also wanted hidden mics which I knew could be a challenge depending on the material and construction of the talent's outfit. I had a small amount of time to mic each talent, so I went with my go-to noise reduction accessories which included The Bubblebee Lav Concealer and The Invisible Lav Covers- Fur Outdoor that I use with my DPA 6060 and Sanken Cos-11D lav mics.
There was one outfit in particular that was extra noisy, and we stopped down a few times for me to adjust the mic. I was definitely feeling stressed because having the lav as the sole option for audio is not ideal especially for an interview. There are other scenarios like some doc work and reality tv where the lav is the main mic but when people are moving about in their environment there is some leeway for minor clothing sounds and such. In an interview situation all of the attention is on the person sitting in the chair.
I made sure the director knew that there was some minor rustling happening. They were listening to the audio feed I was sending and were happy with the end result. Sometimes the stress of the situation, my sensitive ears, and my high-fidelity headphones will have me hearing every small noise and detail in the sound but if the director is happy then I can let go of the need for absolute perfection.
Rachel recording a weaving loom machine in Italy on set of ‘A Sense of Beauty’
Last year you worked on a documentary 'A sense of Beauty', which took you all the way to Italy. What were some challenges of filming overseas, and do you have any advice for others heading abroad for a shoot?
‘A Sense of Beauty’ is my favourite project I have worked on so far! This was the first time I travelled abroad for a job, and it was pretty seamless. The production took care of all the proper protocols by getting a carnet for the gear in Italy. The main obstacle was carting all of my gear and luggage to the airport and deciding what I wanted to check and take as a carry on. I took all of the main pieces of gear I would need to record the project in my carry-on and put my backups in the checked luggage. I didn’t skimp on my back up equipment because I wanted to make sure I had everything I could possibly need if something were to malfunction.
The project was planned out very well in Italy so I knew all the logistics and how many mics I would need. One of my main takeaways was that I love air tags! I keep them in each part of my kit, and it definitely gave me some peace of mind when I checked my luggage or if some of my gear ended up in a secondary vehicle enroute to a location.
Another thing I did that gave me some peace of mind was reaching out to sound mixers in the countries we travelled to. The sound mixer community is really strong in NY but also around the world. We travelled to India as well, so I reached out to mixers in Italy and India to receive advice about the areas we were recording in and access to potential gear if something were to happen. Shout out to Vinod Subramanian in Mumbai who came through on a solid gear package when production wasn’t able to get a carnet for me and Daniele Turi in Milan for all the great advice!
Behind the scenes of a short film with Rachel and The Spacer Bubble.
As part of winning our monthly giveaway, you chose to use your voucher on The Sidekick 3 IEM, great choice! What was it that caught your attention about The Sidekick 3? How have you found it so far, and do you have any upcoming shoots where you think it'll be particularly useful?
I am so grateful for the voucher and was very excited to check out the Sidekick 3 IEM! I have been thinking about purchasing this item for a while so this was the perfect opportunity. What drew me to them was the size and quality. They are very discreet and seem comfortable to wear.
While I love my main Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro headphones, NYC summers can get very hot. I’m thinking there could be an opportunity this summer shooting outside to swap out the Beyerdynamic’s for the Sidekick and give my head a lighter option.
Since they are so small their main use will probably be to live in my sound bag in the event, I’m in the field and my headphones stop working. It's great that they are small enough to easily fit in my bag without adding virtually any weight and because they are high fidelity there’s no stress in making sure I will still be able to do my job the best I can.
